Explosive.



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G IOANNI CORNARO, 0F TURIN, ITALY.

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No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that .I, Gloa'nn Gonnnno, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Turin, in Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the'Manufac-' ture of Explosives, of which the following is aspecification. This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of explosives.

"I have ascertained that very much greater explosive force is obtained by using a mixture of different metals than by using the metals singly, if the mixture is an intimate one and consists of suitable proportions of two or more metals Which begin to oxidize at difi'e'rent temperatures, and the successivel y formedroxygen compounds of which develop, during their formation, increasing quantities of heat, so that the oxidation of one of them induces, by the heat developed, the more rapid and complete oxidation of the other metal or n'i'etals, of which the oxidation takes place at a higher temperature.

Thik process constitutes an improvement of great importance and allows of obtaiu- 111g explosive forces considerably ater than those obtained by means of-the most. powerful nitrogen-con'ipounds. If the two metals, aluminium and arsenic, are mixed with each other in, suitable proportions, to" gether with a suitable quantity of oxid or highly oxidized salt, as for examplemam ganese dioxid, chlorate f perchlorates or nitrates, the oxidation hf one of the metals develops heat by which the oxidation of the other metal is caused to take-place, with more completeness and with the development of a greater amount of heat and cmiscquently of explosive force; During-, tho first phase of the explosion the arsenic rsiirst oxidized. by the oxidizing agent at the moment of igniting the explosive and the heat of; forn iation I assists and accelerates the formation of aluminium oxid All The heat of forn'iaticm of the latter added to that of the arsenious oxid raises the temperature to the temperature at which arsenious pentoxid As,() is formed, and this compound in turn raises thetemperature to that at which a. peroxid of aluminium perhaps is formed, which may be the hitherto unobtainable pentoxid A1,.(),. The final result is that the metals, alun'iinil'un and'arsenic, are completely oxidized with such development of heat that they are in a gaseous state at the end of the explosion.

It is necessary that the explosion of an ex Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April s, 1910. Serial No. 554,118.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911! plosive of this nature takes place in a projectile, mine, torpedo or the like, to prevent the expansion and. cooling, of the gases in course of formation. If the metallic explosives manufactured by the method described are formed with nitrate of potassium, ex-- tained, according to the purpose for which the explosive is required.

As examples 21.5 per cent. of alumin-- ium, 21.:3- per cent. of arsenic and 5T per cent. of perchlorate of potassium give an explosive of high disruptive power. 20 per cent. of aluminium, -20- per-cent. of arsenic and per cent. of nitrate of potassium give a lower disruptive power.

The explosive is compounded in the same Wayns black powder.

At the very high temperatures of explobelieved, to he gaseous, but immediately after the explosion and consequent ex ansion and cooling the gases the latter rapidly become coinflensed and solidified, but remain in a state of line division, so that they re main'suspended in the atmosphere and form a thick and slowly dispersing smoke, visible at a. considerable distance.

The explosives produced in the manner described therefore have the following ad vantages: 1. High power. 2. Production of thick, slowly dispersing smoke, enabling the location otthe explosion to be detected. at distz mce. 3. lnsensitiveness to impact and friction within the gun and on impact with highly resistant bodies such as a-r1r.. .r-plates, cement or concrete walls and the like, so that the-explosives are suitable for charging projectiles and in general for all purposes for which explosive agents are'requ ired,

Certain metals are, -more. ipa'rticularly when finely pulverized, liable t0\become oxidized at ordinary temperatures. To prevent this, such metals may be coated. with a protective varnish of materials which are perfectly stable at ordinary temperatures, and constitute an explosive when in. contact Wit. the oxid or salt mixed with the metal. A .rnish suitable for this purpose may be proauced by mixing in equal proportions,

sion tli'; oxids and metallic anhydrids are l to ' in Wei ht.

soot, boiled linseed oil and oil of turpentine to form a paste. The percentage of mot, however, may be varied to give to the paste the required fluidity. This varnish is applied to the metallic powders of the explosives in the proportion of'Q to i per cent.

varnis the explosive will not explode in weak resistance. I

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1 An explosive comprising a mixture of aluminium and arsenic in finely divided condition with asolid inorganic oxidizing agent. 2. Anexplosive comprising a mixture of aluminium and arsenic with perchlorate of the open air, or if inclosed in a reservoir of potassium.

\Vith 4: per cent. or more of such 3. An explosive comprising a mixture of aluminium and arsenic with an alkali-metal salt capable of rapidly oxidizing said aluminium and arsenic.

4. An explosive consisting of a mixture of aluminium and arsenic in a finely divided condition, a solid inorganic oxidizing agent, and a varnish coating the particles of said metals consisting of. soot, boiled linseed oil and oil'of turpentine, said varnish farming with the oxidizing agent an oxidizable explosive constituent.

Inwitness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

GIOANNI CORNARO. \Vitnesses CARLO TORTA,

J OCELYN; GoUBEYnAN. 

